ESCC - Charlemagne, King and Emperor - TC Edition

(Updated on 04/07/02)

Author

File Description

TheFlemishLion

Posted on 04/06/02 @ 12:00 AM

File Details

Version:

The Conquerors

Style:

Mix

This is a recreation of my scenario that was one of the finalists in the worldwide Charlemagne Scenario Design Contest of Microsoft. More info at http://www.microsoft.com/games/age2/headline_scenario_contest.htm about that contest.

You are in this scenario Charlemagne, king of the Franks, and you have to conquer new lands and become Holy Roman Emperor. To conquer all those lands and to keep your empire peaceful isn\'t easy. You will see large battles and rebellions. If you have problems you can always read the hints.

The first three minutes are a small intro. Suggested is you don\'t move your view during that time. Don\'t worry, you won\'t be under attack during that period.

If the game starts after the intro you will first see Charlemagne (a throwing axe man). He may not die, but he\'s a strong fighter. You will receive detailed info about your first objective then.

more information at http://dragon.gamerznexus.com/projects/aok/Scenarios/charlemagne/

A production of Dragon Gaming Design Network (http://dragon.gamerznexus.com/)
Designed by Tijs Leenknegt aka [TFL]TheFlemishLion
Playtested by TheGreatAlexander

Playability:
I played this scenario on hard and found it to be a lot of fun.The complexity of the area you govern takes a few minutes to get used to,all the while you are in a furious battle.This scenario ranks high on my list.

Balance:
This is a limited role playing game with build and destroy aspects.There is intense but winnable combat,with neither side having a strong edge.

Creativity:
This scenario was full of it.From the map design to the triggers.I especially liked the trigger when the Arab army attacked.

Map Design:
A lot of thought and hard work went into this map.There was good use of terrain,nearly too much eye candy which is a first,good placement of resources and a fairly accurate map of the Mediterranian.Generally having only one scenario is a negative for me,but the intensity of this scenario made up for that.

Story/Instructions:
It had a good story and easy to follow instructions and hints.

In closing i would highly reccomend this scenerio and be ready to rumble.

Helmet_Olsonm2

Posted on 05/02/04 @ 12:00 AM

Rating

4.8

Breakdown

Playability

5.0

Balance

4.0

Creativity

5.0

Map Design

5.0

Story/Instructions

5.0

The FlemishLion's Charlemagne campaign combines historical aspects with non-stop action and multi-faceted plots to give us a glimpse into the rise of the Holy Roman Empire.

[bold]Playability[/bold]: 5
This campaign was downright fun to play. Virtual non-stop action. I was always fighting off either Arab raids, Saxon rebellions or Lombard attacks. The Saxons were relentless in their rebellious efforts, but I was able to subdue them each time, with difficulty. The Arab attack 3/4 of the way through the game where we must build five towers was challenging and fun. You intertwined many different objectives throughout the scenario to keep us busy. The only knock here? It was only one scenario. I would've divided that into two.

[bold]Balance[/bold]: 4
Again, this scenario had virtually non-stop action, but with such a high gold flow (from trade with the Vikings and your tax system, which I will talk about later), I had practically unlimited gold. You placed a lot of stone on the map so I had 10,000 by the end to trade for other resources. Not enough forests for wood and not enough room to really expand on farms, though you compensated with tons of sheep and forage bushes. As for the fighting itself, my armies were so dominant that I was rarely challenged, except on occasion by the Saxon Woad Raider hordes and once by the Arab invaders. I kept Charlemagne in my home Town Center for most of the game to keep him out of combat. You also should've created Viking longboats earlier to make me have to defend my sea trade routes. My trade routes were untouched for most of the game.

[bold]Creativity[/bold]: 5
Very creative! Good rendition of Charlemagne's fight to unite the Holy Roman Empire. Your tax system was unprecendented and very creative. (For those who don't know what I'm talking about, after your initial invasion of the Saxons, you conquer their temple, they swear fealty to you, and pay you gold in taxes through periodic tributes). This steady influx of gold helped fuel me to create a large military. Once I retook the Roman wonder that the Lombards controlled, they also paid taxes to me in tribute. To add to creativity, periodically the Saxons would rebel against my kingdom and I would have to respond and quelch the rebellion. The Arabs were a constant threat throughout the scenario, and you had around 10-15 different objectives throughout the mission, which made it fun (even if a few of the objectives seemed frivilous.) Overall, though, great job.

[bold]Map Design[/bold]: 5
Good map design. Not out of this world, but still worthy of a "5". You put a lot of work into the eye-candy of my home Frankish town, which made it difficult to farm and to locate units at the start, but I adjusted. Your use of rivers and placement of palm trees were plusses. Byzantium earned design points as well.

[bold]Storyline[/bold]: 5
Solid instructions, detailed history, a few mis-spellings, however, and pretty helfpul hints. Worth a "5" without question. This campaign combined historical realism with some fictional events to enhance the fun-factor.

Conclusion: A very good campaign worth downloading for the action and playability. And you won't be disappointed with the creativity or map design, either. A definite download if you're looking for a fun, yet somewhat simple, historical campaign.